If an injury or surgery requires an individual to get around without putting any weight on his or her leg or foot, the individual may have to use crutches, such as under arm crutches or forearm crutches. Under arm crutches include a pad that is held under the arm and pressed into the side of an individual. Forearm crutches include a cuff at the top to go around the forearm. The forearm crutch is used by inserting the arm into a cuff and holding the grip. The cuff can be a half-circle or a full circle with a V-type opening in the front allowing the forearm to slip out in case of a fall.
Under arm and forearm crutches require tremendous amount of upper body and hand strength for use. It is a popular misconception that the arms of an individual alone hold the body weight when using crutches. This misconception and improper usage of the crutches can cause an individual to hunch over creating bad posture as well as other medical problems.
What is needed is an attachment that can be utilized with a crutch that causes the weight of an individual using the crutches to be distributed throughout the entire upper body and as such, the muscles of the trunk and shoulders do just as much work as the arms.